None of the new satellites, presented as a Russian analogue of Starlink, have yet reached the proper orbit
Russia has not yet been able to properly launch any satellite into orbit from the second batch of the 'Rassvet' system, which they plan to use as their own Starlink analogue. This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The second batch of 16 satellites was launched on July 19. However, by August 31, none of them had reached the planned altitude of 550 kilometers. Many devices remained at an altitude of 300-400 kilometers, and the orbit of some continues to decrease. At least two satellites may re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
There were also problems with the first batch, launched in March. Only 12 out of 16 devices managed to reach the planned altitude. According to ISW, they provided Russian military personnel with communication to ground terminals in the occupied territories of Ukraine only twice a day, for about an hour and a half.
Being in too low an orbit shortens the lifespan of satellites: they are more affected by the drag of the upper atmosphere and consume fuel faster.
As a result, by the end of August, only 37.5% of the launched 'Rassvet' satellites had reached a stable working altitude. ISW believes that the failure with the second batch could lead to new delays in the deployment of the Russian satellite constellation.
The Russian company 'Bureau 1440', which is developing the system, announced plans to conduct dozens more launches and deploy hundreds of satellites into orbit. However, this uses the 'Soyuz-2.1b' rocket, whose capabilities are limited.
According to ISW's assessment, at the current launch frequency, Russia will be able to launch no more than 128 such devices in four years, with no guarantee that all of them will be operational.
Thus, Russia's attempt to quickly create its own satellite communication system instead of Starlink has so far encountered serious technical problems.
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